Municipalities are required to develop and implement comprehensive official plans that provide for the resolution of existing sewage disposal problems, provide for the future sewage disposal needs of new land development, and provide for future sewage disposal needs of the municipality. This official plan is sometimes called the "base plan" or the "Act 537 plan." When a new land development project is proposed, municipalities are required to revise their official plan (unless the project is exempt from planning).

The Planning Forms and Information

The following forms and their supporting documentation are used in the process of revising an official plan.

The Sewage Facilities Planning Module Application Mailer is the first step in this process and must be submitted for all new land development projects, except for those projects that meet the qualifications for the use of a Component 1 planning module. The mailer information is used by DEP to determine whether sewage facilities planning is required, and if so, what type of planning is appropriate for a project.

The sewage facilities planning module component forms below are provided as examples of the instructions and the type of information required for the planning process. The appropriate planning module forms will be provided by DEP in response to the completed Planning Module Application Mailer. Use only the most current planning forms for your submission. If there has been a project delay since planning forms were obtained from DEP, be sure to verify the forms originally received remain the most current forms available.

In all cases, local municipal involvement is required. Do not submit completed planning module forms directly to DEP without municipal coordination.

Planning Forms

PNDI Coordination

Most sewage facilities planning proposals require coordination with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for avoidance and minimization of impacts to threatened and endangered species, and special concern species. If your project requires this coordination, DCNR's Pennsylvania Conservation Explorer will assist you with this requirement. The Conservation Explorer allows you to perform a Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) Environmental Review for your project online or gives you the option to submit your project for review offline using a Manual Project Submission Form.